{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:53:04Z","timestamp":1787028784117,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776643200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"European Union\u2014Next Generation EU","award":["2022HC3FRM"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022HC3FRM"]}]},{"award":["2022HC3FRM"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2022HC3FRM"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/019w4f821","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease influenced by several factors, including immune system imbalance, impairment of the epidermal barrier, and alterations in the composition of the gut and skin bacterial and fungal microbiota. This study combines metagenomic sequencing and culture-based methods to explore the impact of probiotic supplementation on the cutaneous microbiota and mycobiota of AD patients. Twenty-five adults diagnosed with AD were enrolled, and skin swabs were analyzed to characterize microbial diversity and load. Culturomic analyses identified 42 bacterial and 6 fungal species, confirming Staphylococcus aureus and Candida parapsilosis as predominant taxa. High-throughput sequencing revealed Staphylococcus spp. and Malassezia spp. as dominant genera, with notable interindividual variability. While probiotic use did not significantly influence bacterial diversity, it was associated with higher richness and evenness in fungal communities, as shown by alpha and beta diversity metrics. Malassezia restricta was more prevalent among probiotic users, whereas Candida parapsilosis and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were enriched in non-users. These findings indicate an association between probiotic use and differences in the composition and diversity of the skin mycobiota compared with the bacterial microbiota, suggesting that fungal communities may be more responsive to probiotic-associated factors. Integrating metagenomic and culturomic approaches offers valuable insights into the complex interactions among host factors, microbial communities, and probiotic use in AD, paving the way for targeted microbiome-based therapeutic strategies.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life16040690","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]],"date-time":"2026-04-20T12:01:22Z","timestamp":1776686482000},"page":"690","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Preliminary Characterization of Skin Microbiota and Mycobiota in Atopic Dermatitis by Metagenomic and Culture-Based Analyses"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0359-3297","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Federica","family":"Carraturo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4175-1057","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michela","family":"Salamone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-5629-9765","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martina","family":"Annunziata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania \u201cLuigi Vanvitelli\u201d, 80138 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0278-2443","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eugenia Veronica","family":"Di Brizzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dermatology Unit, University of Campania \u201cLuigi Vanvitelli\u201d, 80138 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-2148-8914","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Caterina Mariarosaria","family":"Giorgio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dermatology Unit, University of Campania \u201cLuigi Vanvitelli\u201d, 80138 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6866-9582","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Arianna","family":"Petrillo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS Ca\u2019 Granda Foundation, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ludovica","family":"Fedi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Translational Medical Science, Section of Pediatrics, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4981-8837","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Angela","family":"Maione","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6805-0408","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Guida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emilia","family":"Galdiero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaad.2022.12.029","article-title":"Guidelines of care for the management of atopic dermatitis in adults with topical therapies","volume":"89","author":"Sidbury","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. 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